Christy Shamblin, whose daughter-in-law Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee was one of the 13 American service members killed in an ISIS-K terror attack during the chaotic August 2021 U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, is speaking out amid ongoing media scrutiny over a recent commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery.
Shamblin told CBN News she and other Gold Star families have faced an onslaught of disturbing death threats and critique in recent days after media reports surrounding former President Donald Trump’s attendance at the remembrance.
In particular, she said the menacing messages and chaos kicked up into high gear after Vice President Kamala Harris took to social media to decry Trump’s participation as an improper political move:
Harris’ Scathing Social Media Post
Harris penned the scathing message on Aug. 31, taking to X to accuse Trump of playing politics at the Arlington National Cemetery event.
“Donald Trump’s team chose to film a video there, resulting in an altercation with cemetery staff,” Harris wrote. “Let me be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt.”
She continued, “This is nothing new from Donald Trump. This is a man who has called our fallen service members ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’ and disparaged Medal of Honor recipients. A man who, during a previous visit to the cemetery, reportedly said of fallen service members, ‘I don’t get it. What was in it for them?'”
Harris went on in the message to proclaim that “veterans, military families, and service members” should be ” treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude,” and said Trump should never again be president.
“I will always honor the service and sacrifice of all of America’s fallen heroes, who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our beloved nation and our cherished freedoms,” Harris added. “I mourn them and salute them. And I will never politicize them.”
As Vice President, I have had the privilege of visiting Arlington National Cemetery several times. It is a solemn place; a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this nation.
It is not a place for politics.
And…
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 31, 2024
The U.S. Army also put out a statement criticizing the Trump campaign over the event. One of the big issues was video and photos purportedly taken and posted by campaign officials.
“Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds,” the statement read. “An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside.”
It continued, “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked. ANC is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation’s fallen deserve.”
What Shamblin Says Unfolded
Shamblin, who said she didn’t witness anything other than respect for the lives lost, said the event at the cemetery is part of an annual effort to honor the service members killed during the attack.
Each year, the family of Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover assemble to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in honor of their son. It’s a tradition in which Shamblin and her family partake.
“We have joined them now for three years, and we’ll probably do the same for the rest of our lives,” she said. “So, they initially invited President Trump as a friend … to lay the wreath with them. And, then, as a group, we joined in with that, and we were happy to host the president there.”
Shamblin said the impacted Gold Star families have heard from Trump throughout their three-year ordeal, but that she has never had a substantive conversation with President Joe Biden or Harris, despite repeated attempts to try and speak with them.
“We have had no personal communication from … President Biden or Vice President Harris,” she said, noting they did get form letters from Biden and encountered Biden at Dover Air Force Base shortly after the soldiers’ deaths.
Shamblin previously said the Dover meeting was the “first and only and last interaction” she has had with the Biden administration despite trying to reach the White House. The meeting at Dover Air Force Base three days after the deadly bombing was emotional and sobering, with the families of murdered service members expressing a feeling of being disrespected when Biden greeted them.
“The administration didn’t seem to know our story,” Shamblin told ABC News in 2021. “They didn’t seem to know Nicole’s name, our names. People from the military certainly knew our story, Nicole’s name, our names. And that was expressed to us in a way that felt very genuine and loving. But when it came to the people in suits, it felt disingenuous and hollow.”
Another family said the president made the encounter all about him, with reports he discussed the loss of his own son, Beau Biden, due to cancer. And yet another family member described seeing Biden repeatedly check his watch, something she called “beyond disgusting.”
A ‘Respectful’ Event
Ultimately, Shamblin felt the latest commemorative event at Arlington was “beautiful and respectful” and said those organizing it worked with the cemetery and Trump’s team to try and have as few distractions and disruptions as possible.
“After we were done with the wreath-laying ceremonies, we went to the grave sites, as we do every year on the anniversary,” Shamblin said. “We spend the day there, and President Trump came with us, and laid flowers on each of the graves, and spoke to the families.”
She continued, “He didn’t say, I don’t think, more than a handful of words. It wasn’t a political event. He didn’t talk about himself, or his campaign … he listened to our families tell stories about our loved ones.”
A Chaotic Response
Shamblin said Harris’ social media post about Trump created a litany of chaos for her and other Gold Star families.
“To see that post on social media was shocking,” Shamblin said. “The fallout from that, I will tell you, is that we’re getting death threats — and I don’t just mean death threats into social media accounts. I mean to our phones, to our places of business, to our emails.”
She added, “I feel like she put a target on my back.”
Shamblin was so stunned by Harris’ post that she almost immediately recorded a response video sharing her side of the story on the Arlington National Cemetery event.
Trump posted Shamblin’s clip on social media, where it has received hundreds of thousands of views. In it, Shamblin spoke directly to the vice president and Democratic nominee for president.
“Vice President Harris, I ask you: Why won’t you return a call and explain to us how you call my daughter-in-law’s death a success?” she said. “Why will you not express your condolences yourself? Why have we never heard from you?”
Watch the video:
As for the death threats that continue to stream in, Shamblin said they have been unnerving.
“[At first], I thought, ‘This is not real people. These can’t be my fellow American citizens,'” she said. “But it is. Once I started receiving voicemails and phone calls … they call me by name; it’s extremely disheartening.”
Were Harris and Biden Invited?
Shamblin also responded to claims that Biden and Harris weren’t invited to the Arlington ceremony, something a White House official and Harris aide told media Sunday.
“When I heard them say that, I kind of a little bit laughed and thought, ‘Maybe we have the wrong contact number,’ because … the messages have been there, but they have not been returned,” she said. “We didn’t invite them to lay a tomb or lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but we invited them to come with the families and … give their respect and honor on the anniversary of their death, but we never heard back.”
It would be noted that Shamblin also recently spoke at the Republican National Convention. When asked if she received an invitation from the Democratic Party to speak at its convention, she said she has had “zero communication” with that side of the political divide.
“Nope,” she said. “And I’m sad to say that, because I don’t think it should be Democrat-Republican. We all play for the same team, and it’s called the United States of America, and that’s lacking right now, I think, in a lot of attitudes.”
Listen to them on the latest episode of “Quick Start”
Coping With National Scrutiny
Shamblin and other Gold Star families who lost loved ones at Abbey Gate face a uniquely difficult situation, as their personal pain is also a flammable national issue.
The U.S. pullout from Afghanistan remains controversial, with the Biden administration facing continued questions and scrutiny over its chaotic and deadly results. A muddled U.S. election is only intensifying the issue, with Trump and Harris trading barbs over the matter.
As for Shamblin, she said it can be difficult to see such personal pain played out nationally.
“It’s very difficult and it’s something you have to learn to do, because … nobody’s born with those kinds of abilities or skills,” she said. “But it’s disheartening as well, because what we’ve seen is people bald-faced lie to the American public.”
Shamblin continued, “As family members of this tragedy, we know everything we can get our hands on. We’ve read every report, I’ve been to every hearing that they’ll allow me to be in, and we’ve seen people lie to the American public, and it’s disheartening because they’re elected leaders. These aren’t people in uniform; the people in uniform have every ounce of my respect. These are people who wear suits and make a six-figure salary in DC.”
Honoring Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee
Shamblin has been a consistent voice honoring Gee and demanding accountability. She told CBN News her daughter-in-law, who married her son Jarod in 2016, was a “superstar in life.”
“She was spectacular,” she said. “Her heart and her encouraging attitude were contagious. You didn’t meet her and not feel better about yourself … She was just amazing.”
Shamblin said in a past interview with CBN News that Gee was incredibly proud of her service in the Marine Corps and at Abbey Gate, where the deadly bombing unfolded.
“She knew she was saving lives and she was extremely proud,” Shamblin said. “And there’s nothing you want more for your kids than to have them be proud of what they’re doing.”
Gee’s death has left Shamblin and the family struggling and searching for answers as they cope with a new reality that life will never truly be the same.
“There’s a giant hole in our lives that is never going to be replaced,” she said. “It doesn’t go away. All you do is you learn to live with it, and we don’t wish that on anybody.”
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